The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-03-26
WITHOUT OWNERS.


How the Heirs In this Coaatry May n
claim the Monsy from the Court
81 Chaaosry In Eaglsad.
In the upper story Of . dingy oil
building. not far from Chatham square
there lives remarkable man. Though
he is nearly 70 years old. and move
about siSwly and rather feebly. hi
black hair. tinged with gray. falls il
clusters over his broad but stoopinl
shoulders, rs thick and heavy o !
could have been forty years ago. Hi
face is large. and every feature Is prolni
nent Under broad forehead furrow
cd With wrinkles, two black eyes flash
The eyebrows above them are bushy.
An old silk skull cap usually sits on the
back Of his head. A dirty neckerchiei
is tied, sailor fashion, around hii
throat His once strong and still heavy
figure is clad in faded brown suit Of
clothes of a pattern strange to modern
tail0rs
Perhaps the general appearance Of
the man may fail to impress you favor
ably. but if you think you are an heir
to an old estate IN Great Britain. France
or Germany, the man is an authority
in America on that subject In fact he
AN OLD CLAIM LAWYER.
He knows every family crest and cost
of arms at sight, and has q thousand
old dusty and musty books to refresh
his memory.
.'Are estates in England or on the
Continent really recOverable?" he was
asked the other day by New York
Star reporter.
''Oh. yes!'' he replied. during the
last quarter of century hundreds OF
thousands of dollars have been recover
ed for American heirs am out of the
business. Old age has compelled me
to retire. but direct my clients general
" TO the British-American Claim Agen-
CIV, which has offices in the Stewart
building. on Broadway, corner of
Chambers street They make there a
specially of claims of that kind. and
can decide whether person is entitled
to money or property or not"
''ls there not some deception in this
business?"
There may be on the part of the
people who think they have valid
claims. There are some, of course. who
can not trace their ancestry back of
their grandfathers who are sorely afflict-
ed with
THE DISEASE OF FORTUNE-HUNTING."
''How can the strength of claim up
on foreign estate be found Out?'
''By a very easy process. however
difficult the final recovery may be. l
think the British American Claim Agen-
CIV has books containing the names of
$4,000 estates that have been advertised
in process of law. They have also boxes
containing the original advertisements
in England of many Of them, and a
book of family crests. Besides there
are volumes of genealogies. and manu-
BY such means the agency is generally
enabled 10 tell within short time
whether there is any substantial
property in any OF these names. Their
agents in Great Britain can get at the
complete facts in from four to eight
weeks"
Suppose person thinks that he has
title to part of the property deposit
ed in the Court of Chancery. what !
steps has he to take to recover his |
share?"
LET him get full and authentic
copy of the advertisement of the claim |
bearing his name, and also the name
ami date Of the newspaper in which it
appeared. If he thinks he can
TRACE HIS ANCESTRY
back to the person that left. property
which Was paid into chancery, he
should state, as near as possible. the
date and place of each of his deceased
through whom he means to
trace his pedigree back to the testator
Or the intestate. as the case may be.
This will entail an outlay of about ten
dollars"
Have any estates in England ever
been recovered by Americana"
"Yes. indeed. Richard Yerburv left
a small fortune by will in l754 Out of
mis- estate S24.OO0 was recovered by
nafive-born Americans of the name OF
Iioldsborough, from the eastern shore
Of Maryland, in 1868. A case even
more striking IS that of Frances Mary
Shard, who left fortune of about $780,
100 in the early part of the eighteenth
Her second cousin. George
Davis. came to America in 1742 In
S5S all this money was recovered from
he crown for his defendants in this
country. The pedlgrees established
we're both old and distant. John
lawrence died in 1914. His next of kin
vas an American, who obtained about
$4,000 in 1868. Isaac and Carrie
Wood left 100000 in their estate
heir son was Clement Wood, who
anne to Florida in 1885. His heirs
ued for the estate, and in this case,
Which
COST A FORTUNE CONTESTING 1T.
nd was only decided in 1870, the legal
determinations were made between
ative and alien heirs. The court
eclded that Clement Woods children !
oud not recover because the posses
ors OF the estate were related to the
ntestaie couple in the same degree as
he American heirs. l could mention
alt hundred other cases. but these
re enough to show that property does
OF escheat to the crown upon the ex- ]
motion of one branch of a family, but I
ne heir at law in another branch may
,cOver." {
us it usual for these heirs to know .
ne good fortune that awaits them?"
ION the contrary, the odd part of the I
uslness is that the persons who think [
ley have claims to foreign estates are (
suaQy deceiving themselves. while :
hose who really possess claims are in /
smplete ignorance of their fortune. In I
ngland ncxt-of-kin agencies are we'll 8
established institutions In this country r
ne British-American Claim Agency, /